Bikini Body Workouts Review Jen Ferruggia

I’ve been looking forward to the release of Bikini Body Workouts for quite a while.  I’ve been a big fan of Jason Ferruggia’s workout and diet plans for years so I was glad to see his wife create a product specifically for women.  Let me start the review by explaining what you get when you order this program:

JenFerruggia
Jen Ferruggia

Program Components

Bikini Body Workouts Guide: This document explains how you can safely and effectively build a strong, feminine physique through resistance training.  You need not worry about getting big or muscular from this type of training: as you can see by Jen’s picture, this program is designed help you get lean and have that fitness model look.

The workouts utilize non-competing, antagonistic, alternating supersets.  This means you’ll do a exercise, rest for about sixty seconds, then exercise a different muscle group.  This type of training is ideal for burning fat and is a great strategy for female trainees.  I’ve used a similar style of training myself when I need to drop some fat and I can assure you that it is effective.  But keep something in mind here: working out this way is intense and it will challenge you if you do it properly.

This manual also explains how to incorporate cardiovascular training (both high and low intensity) into your schedule.  Women sometimes put too much emphasis on cardiovascular training, but this plan shows you how to have a more balanced approach.

Another feature I should note is the video library.  Users can access video demonstrations of all the exercises.  The video library is also an easy reference point to see what you’ll be doing on a given workout–the videos are grouped together by training day.  I think you’ll find that there’s something motivational about being able to watch the workouts instead of just seeing the written description of the exercises.

Bikini Body Workouts
Bikini Body Workouts

Bikini Body Nutrition Guide: As I’ve said many times, no fat loss or muscle building program is complete unless you are eating properly.  This guide explains how to set up a nutrition plan from scratch: what type of foods to eat, what to avoid, the best way to time your meals, etc.  I think this would be especially helpful for a beginner who needs to know the basics of fat loss.

Please do not ignore the nutrition guide if you decide to buy this program.  Much of your success in losing fat will depend on the dietary adjustments you make.  You won’t see a complete transformation without changing what you eat.

Note: Specific brands of supplements are recommended in this manual.  I’m sure the brands they recommend are fine, but I would advise you to shop around and see if their are more cost-effective alternatives (I’ve always been a minimalist when it comes to supplements).

21-Day Booty Blast Manual: This is a specialization program for women who want to focus on training their glutes.  The exercises are designed to be done 10 minutes a day, every day, for twenty one days.  You could, of course, do the program longer if you have not yet achieved the desired result.  Needless to say, most women are interested in building a firm, round backside.  This extra training guide will be very helpful for that goal.

REVIEW:

This program is what I’ve come to expect from Ferruggia–simple, straightforward, and effective.  I like the way they have set up weight training, cardiovascular training, and nutrition so women will be able to completely transform their bodies. Let me tell you who I think this program is best suited for:

*Women who are interested in losing fat.  This is the primary goal most female trainees have in mind when they start dieting or going to the gym.  Jen Ferrugia’s workout plan can definitely help you with this.

*Women with access to basic gym equipment (fancy equipment is not required, but a gym membership would be ideal).  Remember that resistance training is a key component of this bikini body workout plan.

*Women who are willing to train consistently and intensely.  As I’ve mentioned before, the routines in this program are physically challenging.  Otherwise they would not be so effective.

*Women who are willing to make overall lifestyle changes (diet, etc.) in order to transform their bodies.

If this describes you then I think Bikini Body Workouts would be a worthwhile investment–you get a lot of quality training/nutrition information at a very reasonable cost (it costs less, for example, than Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide).  Just keep in mind that there’s no such thing as a “shortcut” or “magic bullet when it comes to true body transformation.  This is a great program, but you’ll have to apply yourself and put in both the work and planning for it to work for youJust CLICK HERE to get this program for only $29.99.

 

Covid-19 and the Garage Gym Renaissance

I have written posts over the past few years about building my garage gym and restoring used weights. As I have mentioned, building a home/garage gym has been a dream of mine for a long time. I decided to push through with this dream after moving to a new location and failing to find a reasonably-priced place to train.

This decision ended up paying huge dividends in 2020. Covid-19 arrived in the USA, and draconian lock downs policies forced many local businesses to close. Gyms were one of the first victims. I would have been unable to train for several weeks if I was a member of a commercial gym (I know there is stuff you can do at home, but I’m talking about traditional weight training).

Fortunately, my wife and I were able to train whenever we wanted. Covid-19 affected other aspects of our lives, but we were able to continue working out. I’m thankful–I can only imagine having to endure the lock down without lifting weights.

It seems the lock down caused a renaissance of sorts with garage gyms–demand for home training equipment skyrocketed. I remember checking out websites (Titan, Rogue, etc.) and seeing almost all their equipment listed as “out of stock.”

This also affected the price of weights on buy/sell groups. I usually shoot for under a dollar/lb when buying used weights. People were charging two dollars a pound (and presumably getting it) for Olympic weights. Other equipment, such as squat racks, were way overpriced. It was a seller’s market, and I was very thankful that I had already bought everything I need.

I’ll be interested to see where this leads in the future. Will those who have started training at home never look back? Will there be a return en masse to commercial gyms once all this mess is over?

If the second option happens it would most likely mean a glut of home training equipment flooding the market over the next year or so. That would be good news for bargain hunters like myself. It could even help gym owners that want to add equipment. The market will eventually level out, regardless.

I personally don’t see myself going back to a commercial gym (the only exception would be the unlikely case of moving overseas again). I would, in fact, like to keep expanding my current garage/home gym in the coming years. The Covid-19 pandemic has made a very convincing case for me to keep training at home.

 

Three Diet Rules for Fast Fat Loss

I’ve been studying diet and fat loss for over twenty years. I’ve experimented with “fat burner” supplements like the ECA stack. I’ve also tried everything from low fat to low carb to intermittent fasting with varying levels of success.

Here’s one thing I’ve noticed: successful diets usually have three rules/factors in common, each starting with the letter “C”

I’m hoping this short post will help you cut through some of the hype about losing fat. What I’m about to share isn’t new—it’s just my simple way of expressing some basic things about diet and fat loss. Let’s move on to the three “C’s.”

Rule #1 CALORIES: burn more than you consume

Yes, you guessed it—all successful diets are based upon a negative calorie balance. You must be using more calories than you consume in order to lose fat. Everything else is secondary.

Example: A few years ago a nutrition professor at Kansas State University decided to try to lose weight on a “Twinkie diet.” Two-thirds of his caloric intake came from junk food (snack cakes, etc.), but he made sure to eat about 1,800 calories a day (about 800 less than the usual intake for a man is age).   As a result he lost 27 lb. What may surprise some is the fact that other markers of health (blood lipids, etc.) improved.

I’m not suggesting you go on a junk food diet. But the story proves an important point: the number of meals you eat, the supplements you take, and even the types of food are not as important as the overall calorie balance as far as fat loss goes.

Here’s a general guideline for daily calorie consumption:

10-12 calories x body weight (lb.)=weight loss

15 calories x body weight (lb.)=maintenance level calories

16-17 calories x body weight (lb.)=weight gain

You will have to adjust these numbers to your particular situation.  Those with higher activity levels may need to raise these numbers a bit.  Those who are obese would probably need to lower them.  But what I’ve shared here is a pretty good general rule.

Rule: #2 COMPLIANCE: find a diet that you can/will follow

The second rule fat loss is compliance. In other words, you have to find a diet plan that you can stick to long enough to see the desired results.

Example: I know some trainees who regularly eat six meals a day. But most of them are competitive bodybuilders, trainers, or professional fitness models. Their lives (and salaries) revolve around their physiques, so it makes sense for them to invest a great deal of time into meal planning. But frequent meals are not necessarily better, so you don’t have to eat this way to get lean. This is good news for people like me—I’m not interested in preparing that much food (and even spending that much time eating) on a daily basis.

I would encourage you to experiment and find something that works for you, remembering that you can’t escape the first “C” (calories). I really intermittent fasting, but you may find some other plan that keeps you within your caloric range. Choose a strategy that you can implement day after day, week after week–the most enjoyable or least “painful” for your specific situation.

Rule #3 CARBS:  Manipulate your carbohydrate intake

This third “C” is not nearly as important as the first two. Having said that, here’s something I’ve noticed: most people who get really lean do so by manipulating their carbohydrate intake.  Notice I said, “manipulate,” not necessarily “eliminate.”

Eating low/zero carbs can help optimize your hormones for burning fat. Here’s how it works: your muscles and liver contain glycogen (glucose in the muscles), which is used for fuel. Going without carbs will lower glycogen levels, encouraging your body to use fat as its fuel source (there’s more to it than that, but that’s the short version).

Most effective diets manipulate the effect of carbohydrates in one or more ways:

*Lowering overall caloric intake from carbohydrates and increasing the percentage of calories from protein and fat.

*The trainee eats most of his/her carbohydrates immediately before and/or after training.

*The trainee goes long periods without eating carbs, then refills glycogen stores over the period of one or two days.

*Carbohydrates are exclusively eaten in the final meal (or meals) each day.

*Carbohydrates are “cycled”—a set number of low carb days followed by days of higher carb consumption.

*Some  find that they do better by eating most of their carbs at night.

Final Thoughts:

Fat loss isn’t really that complicated. Follow these simple principles I have shared and you’ll have a much better chance at achieving the level of leanness you desire.

I haven’t said anything about exercise yet in this post.  I’d recommend a combination of weight training and cardio for best results.